Iran Kills One and Injures Dozens in Drone Strike on Kuwait International Airport

Iran’s drone and missile attack on Kuwait International Airport killed one person and injured dozens as the strike damaged the passenger terminal and tested a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

“Iran launches attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain as tensions continue to rise Tensions in the Middle East escalated again after Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Kuwait and Bahrain, according to officials in both countries”

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Kuwait’s defence ministry spokesman called Wednesday’s attack "criminal Iranian aggression," while the foreign ministry said diplomatic missions had been damaged.

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US Central Command said the overnight strikes on Qeshm Island targeted an Iranian military ground control station in response to "attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East," and it said it shot down or intercepted Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain.

The BBC reported that the person killed in the Iranian attack on Kuwait’s airport was later identified as an Indian citizen, and it said Kuwait ordered two Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 24 hours.

The NPR account said Kuwait briefly shut its main airport Wednesday after Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal, killed one person and wounded dozens, and it described the episode as the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility for the airport strike, claiming the damage was caused by an error from a US missile interceptor, while US Central Command said this was false and called the attack a "deliberate, calculated and unjustified attack."

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry ordered two Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 24 hours and summoned Iran’s charge d'affaires, as the BBC reported that the escalation threatened a shaky U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

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In Washington, Trump said negotiations continue and told the Pod Force One podcast, "We seem to be getting along quite well," while the BBC said the latest escalation came as ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran stalled.

NBC News reported that Kuwait’s airport was forced into an emergency shutdown after what officials described as an Iranian attack involving drones and missiles, and it quoted a Kuwaiti official describing the attack as an "act of criminal Iranian aggression."

The Washington Post described the broader context as the United States and Iran trading strikes overnight in one of the most intense bouts of conflict since the increasingly tenuous ceasefire began in April, with U.S. forces targeting Qeshm Island and Iran firing missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait.

The BBC said the latest escalation threatens a shaky U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and it reported that US Central Command added that Iran had fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted.

“Iran’s IRGC and CENTCOM trade accusations over Kuwait attack The United States and Iran traded accusations over the attack on Kuwait International Airport that left one killed and 63 injured”

Al-Monitor

NPR reported that the strike reinforced risks to residents and travelers in Gulf countries that had considered themselves relative havens before the war, and it said talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek a more enduring truce.

NPR also reported that Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said Kuwait will "neither accept nor tolerate" the attacks and was kicking out two Iranian diplomats, while it said the U.S. military launched strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island.

The Washington Post framed the immediate strategic context as the U.S. and Iran trading strikes since the ceasefire began in April, with significant damage to Kuwait International Airport and Kuwait International Airport suspending flights after the attack.

In parallel, the BBC reported that the IRGC immediately vowed retaliation, saying that "disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military," keeping pressure on negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear dimension.